| Show old war echoes the return of the volunteers from the far away philippines and their enthusiastic welcome home naturally puts the old veterans of other wars in a reminiscent mood here is a story told by one of the members of lot smiths company and a resident of the county this company of about a hundred men it will be remembered went out from utah to protect the U S mail coaches from desperado and indian depredations at the outbreak of the civil war the hero was a humble private and a former resident of bountiful peter cornia familiarly called pete said the narrator a detachment of the company about fifty men was out in the indian country around the head waters of the green river for a number of weeks we had been fording ley icy swollen streams and clamber clambering over ru rugged C ed roa dIess mountains sometimes wallowing through snow up to our horses flanks in those few weeks we ranged overt over five hundred miles of country chasing the wily red man and during that time said lie he our bill of fare consisted of an old horse a coyote a bad bador badger or a porcupine a swan and a few pounds of meal so as you can well imagine 1 we were nearly starved as well as frozen indeed more than one night wo went to bed when nothing had passed our mouths that day one ui ca lit after such a day my co and I 1 came off guard duty cold and hungry in wallowing wa allowing 0 through the tall wet grass we were drenched to the skin up to our waists and to make matters worse our clothes by the time we had reached camp were frozen stiff we were just pulling our wet blankets about us preparatory to r getting 0 a little needed rest when pete calling c us to one side pulled pulle dout out from under his coat two griddle cakes and li handing anding them to us said boys ive saved these cakes for three weeks for just such an emergency as this we took them but immediately broke them into as many pieces as there were men and passed them round F for or three weeks lie he had bad carried these cakes in his pocket for an emergency and during that time he had been as cold and hungry as any one that said the old veteran a tear dimming his eye was the most thoughtful unselfish deed I 1 ever say saw it is a trait of human nature that no matter what the circumstances are when an opportunity for a little fun presents itself it is rarely ever permitted to pass the night continued he that we had our porcupine stew lieu knowlton of farmington and I 1 were detailed to keep the pot bailin boiling 0 while the others slept the porcupine was an old veteran himself so that we hoped by the aid of a good brisk fire to have him in a digestible di estable condition by morning during the night a mouse attracted by the warm fire crept out of his hole and we caught cau lit him its a shame said I 1 to waste any good t meat when there is so little well said the lie u tenant if you want to put him in probably it will turn some of those fellows stomachs so they wont eat so much as for me mine is proof against 0 anything 1 I chucked him in the pot feathers and all in the morning mornin we showed the boys the stowed stewed mouse but our scheme bad failed there one of them but what took his rations and would have been glad of more the same old soldier contrasting their home coming 1 0 with that of the boys today said our company had separated near bear river we had already had bad a good half days ride and it was no now w past noon with an elc eighty lity mile ride between ourselves and home it was past madni midnight when I 1 reached our place going to a neighboring field I 1 stole two bundles bu adles of oats for which theft I 1 believe belaev e I 1 will be forgiven and led fed my jaded horse then taking my saddle blankets and spreading ill thorn them on oil the ground in the dooryard I 1 went to sleep next morning c I 1 received a welcome just as glad t fand nd hearty as any returning C soldier ever received but my parents were the only ones there were tu to give it il all of the ready money in ill the county at that time would not have bol bought ight the bv bunting inting used in this celebration |
